The present invention relates to data storage device enclosures and to modules for data storage device enclosures.
In preferred embodiments, the present invention relates to storage enclosures for a plurality of disk drives, “redundant array of inexpensive disks” (RAID) arrays, “storage array network” (SAN) or “network attached storage” (NAS) storage, server enclosures, and the like.
FIGS. 1A, 1B and 1C show a typical prior art data storage device enclosure. The enclosure 1 is modular, having module bays 2 at the front of the enclosure 1 for receiving data storage modules 3 (e.g. disk drive assemblies mounted in carriers), and bays 4, 6, 8 at the rear of the enclosure for receiving various modules, such as power supply units (PSUs) 5, cooling modules 7 and various electronics modules 9 (also known as “Input/Output modules” or “I/O modules”). These electronics modules 9 typically include one or more controllers for the disk drive assemblies, providing input/output connections to the enclosure, “just a bunch of disks” (JBOD) functionality or “switched bunch of disks” (SBOD) functionality or “expanded bunch of disks” (EBOD) functionality based on “SAS expander” technology and/or RAID functionality. The electronics modules 9 may also provide enclosure management services or other functionality. The various modules 3, 5, 7, 9 plug into a midplane 10 within the enclosure 1 via connectors. The modules 3, 5, 7, 9 are removable from the enclosure 1 for maintenance and/or replacement. Often modules 5, 9 at the rear of the enclosure 1 are provided in duplicate or more so that a certain measure of redundancy can be provided in case of failure of a module. Many other layouts and configurations of data storage enclosures 1 are possible and, indeed, available commercially.
Enclosures 1 are commonly designed to be mounted in standard 19 inch (approx. 483 mm) racks, thereby fixing their width. The height may vary. For example, the enclosure 1 may be specified as being 2 U or 4 U in height, the unit “U” being a standard unit for height in the field of storage enclosures equal to 1.75 inches (approx. 44 mm). As is conventional, references to “front” and “rear”, “above”, “below”, etc., in relation to the enclosure and/or its bays are given with reference to the orientation of a conventionally mounted enclosure, i.e. one mounted laterally in a 19 inch rack. Nonetheless, these terms should also be construed accordingly to cover a situation where the enclosure is arranged so as to be turned on its side to be vertically arranged, or indeed in any orientation.
One important consideration in the manufacture of storage enclosures is the layout and positioning of the storage devices within the enclosure. It is desirable to make best use of the available space in the storage enclosure to fit in as many storage devices as possible to increase the amount of storage the enclosure can provide.
However, there are various considerations balanced against this desire to fit in as many storage devices as possible. For example, it is desirable to implement redundancy so that access to data is maintained if a component of the enclosure fails. Also, the structure should preferably allow the storage devices to be easily removed from and inserted into the enclosure, possibly by “hot-swapping” the storage devices so that that the enclosure need not taken out of use while the storage device is swapped. It is also necessary to ensure that adequate cooling is provided to the storage devices to prevent overheating. This is usually implemented by providing a cooling airflow through the enclosure, which cools the storage devices and/or other components of the enclosure. The arrangement should also therefore allow adequate airflow between the storage devices.